Controlling device for window shade rollers



April 26, 1932. A. c. HANSON CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR WINDOW SHADE ROLLERS Filed April 30, 1931 I N V,EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITE-i3 stares earner OFFICE ANDREW o. HANSON, OF nAcInE, WISCONSIN CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR wr-nnow SHADE ROLLERS Application filed April 30, i

Very efficiently balances and tensions the curtain or shade during its various move- Inentsa'nd'at any position of adjustment. In

addition, said prior curtain roller fixture is provided with friction means ad ustable from exteriorly of the fixture for regulating the friction or tension to hold the roller inany desired position.

The arrangement-of said prior device is,

however, such that it cannot be applied to the ordinary "spring rollers now in common use in connection with shades and curtains and this is objectionable in installations wherein itis'des'iredto retain the former curtain and roller.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present'inventionxto provide a controlling device for Window shade rollers which retains all ofthe advantageous features of my prior construction above referred to, but overcomes the aforementioned objection in that it 'be're'adily applied to the standard forms of spring rollers for curtains without any substantial alteration thereof.

and instalhis easily manipulated and adjusted, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved controlling device forwindow shade rollers, and

same parts in all of the views:

1931. Serial No. 533,935.

its parts and combinations as set forth-in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the Fig. 1 is a front View of a window casing and wlndow sashes showing a shade mounted therein with its roller engaged by the improved controlling device or fixture;

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged View of the curtain roller and curtain thereon showing the-curtain roller mounted at one end in a standard bracket and mounted at its other end in the improved fixture, .parts being broken away and parts being shown in section to illustrate details of construction;

Fig. 3 is an "enlarged fragmentary view of the fixture and curtain roller end portion engaged thereby;

Fig. d is a sectional view taken on line 4+ of Fig. 3;

I Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3-; and

Fig. 6 is a View showing the fixture casing and parts therein in section with the operating cord omitted. Q v

Referring now more particularly to the drawings it will appear that the numeral '8 designates a window casing having window sashes 9 slidably mounted therein. The win- I dow sashes areadapted to be covered or shaded to any desired degree 'bya shade or curtain 10 which is secured at it'supper end ;portion to any type of roller 11, that illustrated being a standard spring roller. The curtain is adapted to be rolled about or wound on said roller and the latter is mounted horizontally at the upper portion of the casing.

One end portion of the roller is covered by a metal ferrule 11 o'f'ordinaryconstruction,

and a stud 12 projecting outwardly therefrom, is joilrnaled in a standard bracket 13 which is mounted on one side of the upper portion of the casing. The other end portion of the roller is covered by a ferrule 14 from which projects axially of the roller, a flat stud or projection 15, said stud being secured to a revoluble shaft 16 within the roller. here a standard spring roller is used, as illustrated, it is merely necessary to wall of the body 19.

modify it to the extent of holding the shaft 16 and stud 15 carried thereby against rotation, and this is accomplished by the simple means of driving a nail 17 through the roller and shaft 16, thereby securing said shaft and stud against rotation independently of the roller 11. The stud 15, thereby made fast with the curtain roller 11, is adapted for revoluble engagement with the improved ourtain roller fixture indicated generally by the numeral 18, and which will now be described in detail.

Said curtain roller fixture 18 is mounted on the upper portion of the window casing 8 opposite the fixture or bracket 13. The body 19 of said fixture 18 is cup-shaped and the closed end wall thereof is provided with a centrally located circular opening 20. Enclosed by said body 19 is a small cylindrical and cupped hub 21. The closed end portion thereof is reduced, forming an annular shoulder 22 and said reduced portion closely fits into said opening 20. Said end portion of the hub 21 is closed and is formed with a rectangular slot 23 into which the stud 15 of the curtain roller is adapted to extend. The other end portion of said hub is also reduced as at 24. A small aperture 25 is formed through a side wall portion of the hub. An elongated operating cord 26, adapted to be wound on said hub, has its inner end passed through said aperture 25 and knotted.

The fixture further includes a closure and attachment plate 27. Said plate is fiat and is adapted to be positioned against the open end of the cupped body 19 to close the same. Its position with respect to the body 19 is located by means of opposed side notches 28 in said plate which are entered by projections 29 extending from side portions of the body. To secure the plate in enclosing position with respect to the body said projections 29, after being located in the recesses 28, are bent over against the back of said plate. The entire fixture is secured to the 'indow casing in the before-described position by screws 80 extended through apertures therefor in the plate, and into said casing.

It should be noted that the plate 27 is formed with an aperture 31 alined with the aperture 20 in the opposed end portion of the body 19. Said aperture 31 receives the reduced end portion 24 of the hub 21, and said hub, by reason of being confined between the end of the body and said plate, and having its reduced end portions entering the apertures 20 and 31 in said members, is j ournaled for rotation.

The annular side wall of the body 19 is formed with an opening 32 through which the cord 26 is extended exteriorly of the fix ture. A curved braking strip 33 is formed at one end with a depending lug 34 which fits into an opening 85 provided therefor in a side The outer portion of the braking strip is grooved and outwardly flared, as indicated at 36 to accommodate the cord 26 which extends out of the casing lengthwise of said braking strip and between the same and the outer wall portion of said body 19. The outer length of the cord 26 is adapted to depend along the side of the window casing and the braking strip 33 normally engages the cord only for a short distance adjacent the opening 32. A screw 37, which extends through an opening in the inner end portion of the braking strip, is threaded into a side portion of the body 19. By adjusting said screw, the amount of pressure exerted on the cord may be varied. The extreme lower or outer end of the cord may carry a ring 38 for convenience in operating the device.

In use, a curtain roller is mounted in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the flattened stud or projection 15 of the roller extending into the slot 23 therefor in the hub or drum of the fixture 18. The shade or curtain may be lowered by pulling it downwardly in the ordinary manner with the ordinary shade cord, and it is retained in any adjusted position because of the frictional engagement between the braking strip 33 and the cord 26. When the curtain is lowered the cord 26 is wound upon the hub or drum 21 within the body 19, and to raise the shade curtain or shade it is desirable to have great-.

er frictional restrain between said elements than when a light curtain is used. As shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 the head of the screw 37 is readily accessible for adjustment purposes without disturbing the shade or fixture, thereby rendering the external braking means very advantageous and effective.

While the fixture is shown and described as being used in connection with the mounting of a standard spring roller for shades wherein the stud has been rendered non-rotative independently of the roller by a securing means such as a nail passed through the roller and internal shaft, it should be understood that any form of roller having a fixed stud at its end portion, may be used in connection with the improved fixture.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved controlling device for window shade rollers is of simple and novel construction, and is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination, a rotatable curtain rollor having a stud projecting from one end thereof, said roller carrying a curtain, a curtain roller fixture, comprising a casing attachable to a support, a drum revolubly mounted within said casing and engaging the stud of said roller to impart rotation thereto, a flexible member wound on said drum and extending exteriorly of said casing, operation of said flexible member serving to rotate the drum to wind or unwind the curtain with respect to its roller, braking means positioned externally of the casing and engageable with the flexible member for pressing the flexible member against a casing portion to hold the curtain and roller in any position of adjustment, and means in connection with said braking means for adjusting the pressure exerted thereby on the flexible member to suit the requirements of the curtain.

2. In combination, a rotatable curtain roller having a stud projecting fixedly from one end thereof, said roller carrying a curtain, a curtain roller fixture, comprising a casing attachable to a support, a drum revolubly mounted Within said casing and having a slot into which said roller stud extends, a flexible member wound on said drum and extending exteriorly of said casing, operation of said flexible member serving to rotate the drum to wind or unwind the curtain with respect to the roller, braking means mounted on an exterior portion of said casing and engageable with the flexible member for pressing the flexible member against a casing portion to hold the curtain and roller in any position of adjustment, and pressure regulating means carried by said braking means.

3. A curtain roller fixture, comprising a cup-shaped casing having a closed end and an open end, a plate closing the open end of said casing, the closed end of said casing and said plate having alined openings therein, a drum within said casing and having its end portions journaled in the openings in the casing end and plate, said drum having a slot for engaging a curtain roller projection, a cord adapted to be wound on said drum and extending outwardly of the casing, and an external brake engageable with external portions of said cord.

l. The combination with a curtain roller having a flat stud projecting fixedly from an end thereof, of a fixture for supporting and controlling the roller, comprising a cupshaped casing having a closed end and an open end, a plate closing the open end of the casing and attachable to a support, the closed end. of the casing and said plate having alined openings therein, a drum rotatable within said casing and having its end portions ournaled in the openings in the casing end and plate, said drum having a slot entered by said curtain roller stud, a cord adapted to be wound on said drum and extending outwardly of the casing, and an adjustable external brake frictionally engageable with external portions of the cord.

5. In combination, a standard curtain roller having a torsion shaft and a stud carried thereby and projecting from an end of the roller, means for securing the torsion shaft to the roller to prevent independent movement of the torsion shaft, a support, a casing secured thereto, a drum revolubly mounted within the casing and directly engaged by said stud, a flexible member wound on said drum and extending exteriorly of said casing, and a brake shoe secured exteriorly or" the casing and frictionally confining between it and the casing, portions of the flexible member, operation of the flexible member serving to rotate the drum and roller.

6. The combination with a curtain roller having a fiat stud projecting fixedly from an end thereof, of a fixture for supporting and controlling the roller, comprising a cupshaped casing having a closed end and an open end, a plate closing the open end of the casing and attachable to a support, the closed end of the casing and said plate having alined openings therein, a drum rotatable within the casing and having its end portions journaled in the openings in the casing end and plate, said drum having a slot entered by said curtain roller stud, a cord engageable with said drum and extending outwardly of the casing, and brake means engageable with said cord.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

ANDREW C. HANSON. 

